Messrs. Kegan Paul have issued two more of the Psyche
Miniatures (2s. 8d. each). The Conquest of Thought by Inven- tion, by H. Stafford Hatfield, seeks to create alarm at the growing mechanization of our private lives, and envisages the logical conclusion of the present increase of regulations. Fortunately, things seldom proceed to their logical conclusions, and Mr. Hatfield therefore does not alarm us unduly, but there is certainly food for the " conquered " element in some of his descriptions. They shed a new light on some modern habits and institutions, and are therefore welcome. Uplift in Eco- nomics, by P. Sargant Florence, is a plea for the scientific method in this field. Students, it is urged, are either bewil- dered or antagonized by the assumption of moral standards which they do not understand or do not agree with. The economist himself is also frequently muddled by the fact that these assumptions are unconscious, and led into confusion of terminology. These assumptions should therefore be ex- cluded as far as possible from his mind, and his studies confined to the actual phenomena under observation without reference to a moral standard. Thus public discussion will be not less in amount but much better informed. Whether we agree or not, it was worth while pointing out this source of error, and two and six-pence is a small price to pay for a very witty piece of writing.
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